Missouri Governor Reportedly ‘Uninvited’ from Michael Brown’s Funeral

While many prominent state and federal officials attended the funeral of Michael Brown, the 18-year-old whose death sparked nationwide protests over the racial nature of his killing, the Governor of Missouri, Jay Nixon (D), was conspicuously absent. According to the Washington Examiner, his invitation was rescinded at the last minute.

Nixon, whose relationship with the African-American community is best described as “he once tried to end desegregation,” initially said that he would attend Monday’s funeral, but decided at the last minute to not go “out of respect for the family.”

Which is fine, because he probably wouldn’t have been welcome, anyway:

“I don’t think [Nixon] wanted to disrupt the funeral, because a lot of the African-American community in St. Louis didn’t want him there,” said state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, of St. Louis, a former chairwoman of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus who has clashed with Nixon in the past. “So he decided to stay away…[Nixon] was the only one that was not welcome.”

Nixon also faced criticism for his “tepid” response to the escalating unrest in Ferguson, Mo., as well as his seeming inability to curtail the police response to the situation.